Hamilton's Hurricane a Tough Act to Follow; Tony Ratings Down from Previous Year

Following Hamilton's clean sweep during the 2016 broadcast, the 71st annual Tony Awards telecast was down 31% from last year's numbers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen's overnight figures have the television event averaging a 4.7 rating among metered market households, almost tying the numbers from 2012, the year Once took home the Best Musical prize. Though hilariously hosted by House of Cards favorite Kevin Spacey and oozing star power at the podium, this year the Tonys faced competition from the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC.

Hamilton's Tony broadcast was revolutionary in terms of ratings. Overnight ratings for the 2016 Tony Awards showed a 35% bump from 2015’s numbers, and the highest overall viewership since 2001, when theater fans tuned in to get a peek at another buzzed-about musical: The Producers.

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